Happy New Year – 5 Reasons Why I No Longer Make New Year’s Resolutions
As usually, my new year’s resolutions lack timing… This post obviously was supposed to have come out at least a week ago, but alas, my new year’s resolutions – even more obviously – did not include haste or timeliness. So, there’s that. I have a draft from last year’s January (ya know, the one before the world as we knew it started falling apart in a COVID19-chaos) about Christmas and New Year’s 2018/19 sitting in my queue, which I still haven’t finished *insert big eye roll here*.
Besides my tiny BIG reason to not make new year’s resolutions this year (because the baby has its own timeline and will throw us off course no matter how much and how carefully we plan), I generally don’t tend to make any anyway. Here’s why:
- New Year’s Resolutions are usually about as superficial as Hallmark Holidays. Pledging to lose weight, start an exercise program, eat healthier, not drink alcohol, be nicer to your spouse or children, have NOTHING to do with the new year. Tomorrow, you should strive to always be a better person than you were today – whether it’s December 31st or March 12th!
- If something is a grand, new thing we’re starting to do just because it’s a new year, we tend to overdo that very thing leading up to “THE BIG DATE” and that very behaviour makes it so much harder to actually stick with it.
- Most new year’s resolutions are about making ourselves feel better. I’ve spoken with many inebriated folks on December 31st, who just decided around 10pm that they’d be participating in “Dry January” as a new year’s resolution. I have been THAT person, who – whilst stuffing yet another hors d’oevre down her throat right before midnight – announced she’d be eating better in the new year. Luckily, my friend called the next morning and begged me to go out for a hangover brunch with her…
- Even the new year’s resolutions that are made for the betterment of others – I actually told James that I was going to start cooking reasonable portions again in the new year (see how careful I was in NOT using the term “new year’s resolution”?) – let’s be honest… you still get some benefit out of it, no? In my case of the smaller portions, we would all be healthier not eating this much at every meal, myself included.
- Lastly, even if we do announce our wonderful new year’s resolutions to the world, we don’t really have anyone who will hold us accountable to them because most people tend to make too many of them and then break at least one, sometimes the only one.
And THAT is why I stopped making new year’s resolutions! Which, by the way, doesn’t stop me from making “Monday resolutions” or “Weekend resolutions” or “Any Day resolutions” at least once a month *insert another eye roll, please*. Maybe I’ll need to actually write those down and YOU can hold me accountable! Let’s do that! Do you have any resolutions that you are starting to falter on and that you’d like me to be your accountability buddy for? Tomorrow is Monday – I’d be happy to
- start exercising
- reduce sugar
- give up coffee
- what-d-cha-have-in-mind?
Ashley@Shakenstirredandblended
Hi, I'm Ashley and I am a freelance writer and editor for one local and one national publication. In my spare time, I teach foreign languages and manage two households. Oh, and raise four children. It's a crazy life that I chose and I love every second of it :o)
